Got Elegance?
by Seph Lorraine
Summary: AU // Taito, Taichi is a novellist and college student who was lost on a journey down the wrong path, until he met Nippon's blue-eyed treasure Ishida Yamato, and for the first time in years, everything was right.
1. The Toils of Yagami Taichi

Author's Note (12:18 AM 4/2/03) -- Okkei, my mother just referred to Geraldo Rivera as an "insolent peon". Hm... Yes, that had everything to do with nothing, so ha! And about Yamato's odd behaviour (OOC), it will be explained in a later installment.  
  
Fic Details -- AU // Taito, Taichi is a novelist and college student who was lost on a journey down the wrong path, until he met Nippon's blue-eyed treasure Ishida Yamato, and for the first time in years, everything was right.  
  
Disclaimer -- Do I own Digimon? The answer rhymes with "no". It's also strangely similar in context.  
  
Warnings -- Taito, shounen ai, OOC, language, slightly citrusy in later parts, tasteful stupidity, and about everything else... But you're probably not listening to me anyway.  
  
*****  
  
Got Elegance? * Seph Lorraine  
  
Chapter 1 * The Toils of Yagami Taichi  
  
*****  
  
Yagami Taichi sighed in frustration, leaning back in his office swivel-chair, and  
turning himself a bit. Following his action was the sudden sound of a waterfall of paper  
cascading from his desktop. Jumping up quickly, the young writer scampered, trying to  
stop the paper-flow from his desk to the floor, but alas, it was useless. Within a short  
amount of seconds, he sat red-faced on the filthy office floor, partially covered by a  
mountain of unorganised, wrinkled, and scattered papers. Though, what really pissed him  
off was the fact that those papers had previously been the organised, spotless, and  
incomplete 217 page manuscript for his current novel.  
  
Which, by the way, was deadlined for completion two weeks ago.  
  
A swarm of curses flew from his autumn-chapped lips as he pulled himself from  
the floor in an uncontrollable fury. He kicked at the papers, sending them flying through  
the office, and when he had finished with them, he kicked at the desk. The loud  
clamouring of his foot against the thin metal of the desk, echoed through the halls of the  
dorm, those who strew from their rooms to the hallways to see what was going on could  
not see the real damage though.  
  
Hushed voices questioned to each other throughout the hall on the fifth floor of  
the dormitory, moving slightly for a boy with red-hair as he began to dart through the  
crowd.  
  
"'Scuse me! Comin' through! Make like your sister's hair and -part-!" As the crowd  
backed up to the walls to allow him through, the red-head managed to shove a few strays  
out of his way, "Move, please!"  
  
Finally, he managed to squeeze through to room 7D, from which all of the racket  
was originating. He jerked a pin from his pocket and pried the lock with ease, darting  
inside and slamming the door. His eyes bulged.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Taichi san!?"  
  
Taichi halted, mid-kick, and glanced down at the rather sizable dent in his desk's  
metal siding. He blinked and glanced back at the red-head, "Releasing my anger on  
inanimate objects. Wasn't it obvious?"  
  
The boy against the door rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward to see the  
war zone that was Taichi's office/living area. He winced and bit his lip, "Three words for  
you: anger management."  
  
It was the brunette's turn to roll his eyes and sat down with a large sigh. He shook  
his head and placed it in his hand, which he propped upon his knees, "Oh God... I don't  
know what to do, K'shiro san. I just don't know."  
  
Glancing around the gigantic mess that was Taichi's college dorm room, the  
shorter boy ran a hand through his spiky red hair, glancing around for a place to sit.  
When he found a spot clean enough to be deemed worthy of his sitting, he seated himself  
on the floor between two pizza boxes and a very foul smelling football-shoe. The odor  
being more than he could stand, he simply figured he would have to breathe through his  
mouth.  
  
"I don't know how to help you, Taichi san. I could tell you how many bytes in a  
megabyte, and debate with you for hours on the theories of human evolution, but writing  
is simply -not- by area." The shorter boy glanced at the pizza boxes wearily, "Shouldn't  
those be somewhere else?"  
  
Tai blinked, "Like, where?"  
  
Prodding the stack, and pushing it slightly away from himself, the red-head  
wrinkled his nose, "Like... Not here?"  
  
"If they bother you so much, get rid of them, yourself."  
  
"Nah..." Koushiro glanced fleetingly at the door, "I have a paper to write on  
atomic structure and bonds, so I really can't stay long."  
  
"Oh..." The writer nodded, glancing to the window, outside of which daylight  
glowed freely and invitingly. His deep chocolate eyes lingered on the luminescent light of  
the outside world. The days of early autumn were always the most beautiful.   
  
"So, why were you in here pitching a fit, anyway?"  
  
The brunette looked up, meeting the shorter boy's gaze with tired brown eyes, "I  
don't know what to do. This story should have been completed two weeks ago. Hell, it  
should have been through the first two editing drafts, by now! I'm behind, and I'm  
uninspired-- I don't know what to write...! Arg! I don't know what to do."  
  
Koushiro blinked, "It's writing, Taichi. It can't be hard to think of -something-."  
  
Brown eyes narrowed, "You try writing a three-hundred page novel sometime,  
and see how long it takes -you- to break." He buried his head in his hands, again.  
  
Thinking on these words the boy on the floor nodded. His friend did have a point.  
Taichi could wait until the morning before class to compose a twenty-page term essay,  
and have it completed and turned in on time, without breaking a sweat. This novel-thing  
must have really been hard-pressing to disturb the brunette so much.  
  
Standing, the computer-nerd crossed his arms, keeping his gaze on the young man  
before him, "Listen, Taichi san. Take your football and go kick it around a field for a  
while, okay? Get your mind off of this book you're writing, and have some fun. Relax!  
Maybe you'll have some inspiration when you get back, eh?"  
  
Two tired brown eyes, rimmed mildly with red, stared up at Koushiro, "You really  
think I have the energy? I've been living on coffee for the past 53 hours. I somehow get  
the feeling that me kicking around a football for even just a few minutes would -not-  
work out."  
  
The red-head's eyes widened, "Gods! No wonder you can't write! Go to sleep!  
Decent literature cannot be composed under such conditions!" The redhead glanced  
down at his watch, "Oh, damn... I need to finish that paper." He darted out the door, his  
red shirt making him no more than a blur of red to the human eye, "Later, Taichi san!  
And keep down the volume!"  
  
Taichi watched the door, out of which his friend had just exited, and sighed again.  
The sunlight cast it's luminescent glow upon his filth-covered floor, making him suddenly  
yearn to feel it upon his skin. He slowly turned his gaze to the window, again, and gazed  
out, seeing nothing but the tops of buildings and a sky of blue. Koushiro was right, he did  
need to get out for a while.  
  
As if that very thought finalised it, the young writer was out of his seat, grabbing  
his keys and exiting the door in one rapid motion.  
  
*****  
  
The sunlight was warm against his shoulders and back, seeping through the thin  
material of his shirt, into his lightly tanned skin. He felt the light blow of the autumn  
winds, though, slightly chilling him, since he had neglected his jacket back at the dorm.  
He slightly frowned at the imbalance in temperature and began to wonder where he was  
even going and why he was out fooling around, when he should be working (or sleeping,  
so that he might work more productively).  
  
Noticing that he was nearing Mimi's Cafe, a place owned by another good friend  
of his, Taichi quickened his steps to get inside and out of the uncomfortable wind. The  
door opened easily, allowing him access to the nicely decorated cafe on the busy street's  
corner. He glanced around, surveying the atmosphere lightly before walking any further.  
He didn't usually bother with small cozy places like Mimi's. He was always more of a  
fast-food junkie.  
  
After-all, McDonald's -does- serve everything a human being needs to survive.  
  
A bit timid, he made his way over to an empty table by the window. There wasn't  
much noise, really, just the nice atmosphere of small conversation that drifted from all  
about the room. A couple chatted idly, sipping cappuccino on a lime-green couch in front  
of a fire of gas-logs in an English-styled fireplace, made of stone. Near them, in a circle  
of burgundy arm-chairs, sat a group of school girls from the local high school, in an  
involved conversation over cake and tea. Taking in his casual surroundings, Taichi seated  
himself with comfort and felt himself finally relaxing.  
  
He sat silently, glancing out the window with a tired expression, trying to clear his  
mind. A little girl with a red balloon was quickly running from a young boy, probably her  
brother. Her cherry cheeks were vivid against her pale skin as she ran with the balloon  
through the cool wind. She didn't have to worry about writing books and meeting  
deadlines. She just had to run, and hold on to her balloon.  
  
'I miss those days...'  
  
"Taichi kun!" A young girl, around Taichi's age stood at the opening of his booth.  
Her long pink locks of hair were partly held up in a stylish twist, leaving the rest to fall  
neatly of her shoulders. Her brown eyes [1] were large and smiling, as her entire being  
seemed to radiate with unstoppable energy.  
  
What the writer would have given for that kind of energy at the moment was a  
long list. He made his smile, even knowing his labours to do so were right beside  
fruitless. "Mimi san konnichiwa."  
  
The girl frowned, her large eyes and pale pink-tinted lips exaggerating the small  
expression, "Ano... You look tired, Taichi kun. Still working on that novel?"  
  
The brunette nodded dully, watching as she made to sit on the edge of the seat  
across from him.  
  
"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, you know. You look like you need sleep, it's  
not good for your complexion to--"  
  
"Mimi, spare me." He made it a point to glare at her, but the expression was lost  
in his fatigue.  
  
The pink-haired girl smiled softly, "I'll get you some coffee, okkei? No charge.  
Would you like any cream or sugar?"  
  
Taichi managed a small smile at her this time, "No, just black."  
  
"All right, then! It appears my work hours are over..." She glanced down at the  
pink wristband that was her watch, "I'll send your coffee out with Ayame in just a  
minute." She winked and headed back for the counter.  
  
"Arigatou..." He doubted she heard his muttered thanks, though.  
  
After only a moment his coffee was brought to him by a petite girl in a pink  
jumper (as all of Mimi's workers wore). She winked at him, seeing his rather gloomy  
expression and told him to 'cheer up' before she returned to the counter, leaving him with  
his thoughts and Mimi's small wave as she exited her cafe.   
  
As he felt the air around him dull to a comfortable hum, and his eyes drifting shut  
in a surprisingly strong sense of fatigue, a loud squeal pierced the air.  
  
"Aa! Yamato kun! I wasn't expecting you to arrive until Friday!" A girl with short  
strawberry-blond hair darted from the booth directly behind the tired writer to jump into  
the arms of a strange man, whom had apparently just entered.  
  
Taichi growled slightly under his breath and glared at the girl for disturbing his  
peace. He recognised her. She was in his Psychology class, though as far as he knew, she  
was nameless--  
  
"Sora chan--"  
  
Ok, so she did have a name.  
  
"--I wasn't expecting to see you here." The man replied, his voice calm, despite it's  
air of questioning.  
  
Taichi froze in his seat, his eyes widening. He knew that voice. Turning, to view  
the doorway where the couple stood, he noticed that everyone in the whole of the cafe  
had stopped to stare open-mouthed at the scene in the door. His brown-eyed gaze  
continued until it set on the scene at the door. Yes, he did know that voice after-all.  
  
The one and only Ishida Yamato of The Wolves [2] was standing in the doorway  
of Mimi's Cafe, in the middle of Odaiba (of all places) hugging the girl who sat only  
three seats to the direct left of him in his Tuesday-Friday 13:30 Psychology class.  
Without willing it so, he felt his jaw drop. Ishida Yamato. The blue-eyed wonder of  
Nippon. The lead vocalist and guitarist of the leading J-Rock band of the century. A band  
that had managed seven hit singles in a row shortly after the release of their second  
album. 'Ishida Yamato.'  
  
How had he managed to remember all of that, anyway?  
  
"Oh, Yamato kun! Your tour was so long! I missed you so much!" She had locked  
her arms securely behind his shoulders and was now nuzzling her face into the crook of  
the blond man's neck with a blinding sense of longing. "Why didn't you tell me you'd be  
back today? I would have planned something special!"  
  
It was only now that the girl's face was concealed in the blond man's neck that  
Taichi could get a good look at the man in the doorway. Two icy sky-blue eyes  
shimmered chillingly from beneath hanging locks of soft golden hair. He was tall and  
lithe, a slim body with no real muscular build, but an obvious strength. He wore a thin  
waist-length black jacket over a simple white button-up shirt with black-slacks, and a  
silver chain around his neck. He looked like what you would imagine any formal  
musician to look like, really, but it was fairly obvious to see why the man was Japan's  
'hottest male bachelor'.   
  
One word came to Taichi's tongue immediately, "Elegant..." Though, it escaped  
merely as a whisper.  
  
Frowning slightly, the writer leaned back in his seat, still watching the sight at the  
doorway. He was surprised, most definitely; why the hell was Ishida Yamato standing  
only a distance of approximately ten metres away from -him- in some unknown cafe in a  
place hardly anyone ever went? He was confused; maybe if he paid more attention to his  
fellow classmates he would have noticed that he knew the girl who was Ishida Yamato's  
girlfriend? He was intrigued; he had been a mediocre fan of The Wolves since the first  
single of their first album had been released. He resisted the urge laugh as he watched the  
slightly edgy looking blond try to pry the girl-- Sora-- from his neck, with an expression  
of slight annoyance.  
  
This was turning into a very eventful day.  
  
Finally, the girl was off, and the blond appeared to be breathing regularly again,  
his eyes a calm, serious blue. He glanced around the cafe uncomfortably, his gaze didn't  
seem to flicker over Taichi, though. The high school girls from earlier, in their circle,  
began to giggle and squeal in sickeningly soprano voices as Yamato took Sora's wrist  
gently and began leading her to the booth where she had been sitting, only a moment  
earlier. Right behind Taichi.  
  
The people of the cafe slowly began to return to their earlier discussions as  
Yamato and his girl headed towards their booth. Though, not without a few stiffled  
giggles and murmurs over the extremely handsome musician.  
  
As they walked by, though, Taichi couldn't help but study the undeniably  
handsome celebrity passing his table. Maybe his gaze had been a bit too obvious, or  
maybe the blond had suddenly mistaken him for someone else, but as the blond man  
passed, his icy blue eyes met Taichi's for a full second. In the blue eyes there was a sort  
of casual surprise, almost as if one friend saying to another: 'Oh, Taichi! Wait here a  
moment, won't you? I've been meaning to talk to you about something.'  
  
The writer blinked.  
  
It was nearing nightfall by this time, and the blond had finally taken his seat in the  
booth, behind Taichi, leaving the brunette to think in a hazy awe-struck puzzlement. It  
seemed only practical that he return to his dorm to continue his writing at this time, and  
yet, another part of him was still stuck on that pair of blue eyes. He knew he had  
probably only imagined that silent message in the blond man's eyes, but the wistful,  
childish nature within him wouldn't allow him to do anything but stay where he was. Just  
in case.  
  
It seemed as if almost an hour had passed, but maybe not quite, when the girl--  
Sora-- finally stood, shortly followed by what was now assumed to be her boyfriend--the  
famous Ishida Yamato. She was laughing softly over some small trivial matter, now, as  
they appeared to be saying good-byes. She began drifting slowly to the door, her palm  
lazily grazing his.  
  
"Come on, Yamato kun. Won't you even walk a girl home?" She winked, her  
cherry lips pursed lightly in a pout.  
  
"I told you, Sora. I would be honoured to do so, but I have things to attend to  
while I am in the area. I shall see you tomorrow." He replied, his tone was soft, but not  
quite passionate.  
  
She finally caved, and let a smile seep through, "Fine, then. But, remember! If  
you're not over by four, Mimi will have my head and yours, too--"  
  
Mimi? Taichi blinked at the mention of his good friend's name.  
  
"--She's been dying to meet you, and I promised I would arrange it."  
  
"Fine, then. I shall be there." He smiled lightly, an expression too formal for  
someone in such a casual situation, "Good night, Sora chan."  
  
She waved, leaving the shop.  
  
Taichi sat motionless for a while, watching as the girl look off down the street,  
her mobile phone pressed against her right ear all the way. She disappeared into a crowd  
of faceless people, as the yellow sky seemed to darken, above. It would be night soon.  
Slowly, he looked away and froze.  
  
Sitting in the booth, directly across from him was the man over which he had  
been pondering for the last hour. He had his arms crossed casually over his chest, his  
head tilted just the slightest bit to the right, and his eyes were narrowed slightly, as if  
examining a painting in a museum. He then straightened his head suddenly, his eyes  
raising, almost as if he had just found what he was looking for.  
  
"Konbanwa." His voice was a perfect tone to match his looks, the enunciation of  
every syllable was flawless in clarity, and the volume at a low sounding-- a sign that this  
was directed at -him- and no one else. No wonder The Wolves were so popular; Yamato's  
regular voice was every bit as melodic as his singing. But then again, what else could you  
expect?  
  
Not knowing properly how to respond to the other man, Taichi replied in the first  
way that popped into his head, "Ishida Yamato?"  
  
The musician was still for a moment, before the corners of his lips turned up  
slightly, a small glimmer in his blue eyes. "I was quite surprised to note that you were  
still around..."  
  
"Should I have left?" The writer wasn't exactly sure where that question came  
from, but never-the-less it was asked.  
  
"No, you see... I was hoping you would be." Yamato lifted a pale hand, his thin  
fingers brushing a few strands a loose blond hair behind his left ear. His eyes revealed  
nothing of the thoughts within his mind, and from the way he spoke, his tone didn't  
either.  
  
The brunette was surprised by this. This was definitely odd. The famous Ishida  
Yamato wanted to talk to him? "Why?"  
  
As if it was the stupidest question he'd heard, the blue-eyed musician spoke  
monotonously, "Should I have a reason?"  
  
"Yes... I think you should..."  
  
"Pardon, monsieur, s'il vous plait, if I don't." The blond spoke, his eyes still gave  
away no hints to the thoughts that passed behind them. Neither did his posture or the rest  
of his facial expressions. The man could have been thinking of all the ways to scrape  
gum off of his shoes, and Taichi probably wouldn't have had a clue.  
  
"Er..." What was he supposed to say now?  
  
"It's quite odd, you know." The musician continued, his eyes practically piercing  
through Taichi's own, "I sense you are someone of importance, yet you seem an illusion  
of insignificance."  
  
What the hell? The brunette was not quite sure whether to be offended or what,  
"Do you do this often?"  
  
"Yes." Yamato then paused as if thinking, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Randomly targeting poor people in cafes and analyzing them in a manner of  
which can only be understood by one who's perhaps a bit off?" The brown-eyed boy  
found that his left eyebrow had lifted in a questioning manner as he stared at the  
strangely attractive man before him.  
  
"No." The rock star said quietly, running a hand through his well-gelled hair,  
knocking a few strands from their places in perfection-- yet looking no worse than before  
the action. "Actually, that was just an observation-- completely unimportant. I actually  
wanted to ask you for some advice."  
  
"You just said you didn't know why you were talking to me."  
  
There was silence as Yamato folded his arms together again, across his chest and  
observed the brunette with an unreadable visage, finally he made to reply, "I was lying."  
  
"You lie to me... And then you ask me for advice?" The writer asked  
monotonously, trying to piece together the blonde's chain of thought behind his actions  
and found himself failing miserably, "What makes you think I'll give you any advice?"  
  
The man across from him made to shrug, but never quite completed the action,  
"Well, it's not as if my trivial and completely unimportant lie meant anything to you  
personally did it? You don't know me. Why should it matter?"  
  
For some reason, though he knew the argument he pursued was useless and quite  
stupid, he found himself quickly responding in opposition, "I don't have to know you to  
take it offensively. I disagree that it makes a very large difference about your lie. I am not  
one to be lied to-- especially by a stranger. I find it offensive that you think you can lie to  
me because I am a stranger."  
  
"But the lie meant nothing, and very well might not have existed. Besides,"  
Yamato shook his head lightly, a few strands fleeing from his eyes, "it wasn't a complete  
lie. I don't know why I originally wanted to talk to you. I simply came up with a reason  
that you would find believable."  
  
"Believable? So the explanation of asking for advice was a lie to?" Taichi  
countered.  
  
"No, I do want to ask you some advice, though my other reason-- for which I  
came over here in the first place-- is not believable to you, no matter the truth of it." The  
musician had a sharp tongue, and defended himself with little effort.  
  
Though, Taichi had a sharp tongue as well (he was, after all, a practiced writer)  
and had no problem placing the strikes upon the blond as he saw fit, "So, there was a  
reason for your to speaking to me, though you have denied it? Therefore, it was a  
complete lie. What was your other reason that I would not have believed?"  
  
"You have already heard it, and you didn't believe it."  
  
"About the advice? No, that was the first reason."  
  
"Aa, but you see, that was my second, as it came after the first. The first, which I  
told you when you originally asked why I wanted to talk to you." Blue eyes flickered with  
unspoken victory, though despite the small flicker of light in those icy blue orbs, Yamato  
remained completely passive and unreadable.  
  
"That I looked like an 'illusion of insignificance' or whatever?"  
  
"No. I clearly stated that, that was completely unimportant. Anyway, I didn't even  
make that observation until I had already spoken to you."  
  
"Then why did you even say it at all?"  
  
"I didn't know we would be playing 20 Questions in a matter of seconds later."  
  
"That doesn't answer my question."  
  
"Well, why does anyone say anything?" The blond suddenly narrowed his eyes at  
Taichi, though he still didn't seem angry. He simply looked intense to the topic of  
discussion.  
  
Taichi blinked, "Well, what was your first--"  
  
"You didn't answer the question." Yamato cut in.  
  
"Ano..." There was some mild confusion. The musician actually expected him to  
answer something as rhetorical as that? "To get a point across, I would suppose...?"  
  
A small smirk crossed the guitarist's pale lips, "And if we removed all pointless  
phrases from our regular speech, what would we say? There would be little conversation  
to be had. Would we still be speaking if I had left out my small observation of  
unimportance?"  
  
For some reason, the brunette suddenly felt like he was waking up with a terrible  
hangover. Why did this Yamato guy need to be so confusing? "Are you implying that all  
of the things said that we consider of little difference, are actually important?"  
  
Blue eyes averted to the window for a moment before refitting their gaze on the  
young novelist before them, "Indeed, I am. This whole discussion was less than  
'important', but for some reason we are still talking. It must have been important in some  
way."  
  
Taichi blinked in understanding, "Though, I still don't know what your  
unbelievable first reason for speaking to me was."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You forgot or you were lying about that also?" The brown-eyed boy narrowed his  
eyes.  
  
"No, that was my reason."  
  
"You didn't know why you wanted to speak to me?"  
  
"I told you first that I had no reason for speaking with you. Though, due to some  
oddity in your mind, you didn't believe me."  
  
Taichi was silent, trying to comprehend this, "So you just saw me and said: 'Hey, I  
wanna' talk to him'?"  
  
"No."  
  
"...?"  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"But you thought it."  
  
"Well... Maybe the word-ordering was a bit different, but yes."  
  
"..."  
  
Yamato was silent, his expression still impassive. He didn't appear as very  
satisfied to have proved his point, but only a fool would think he wasn't.  
  
"Er..." Trying to make his sleep-deprived mind understand the discussion earlier,  
the writer blinked, "So... What was this advice you wanted to ask me?"  
  
Apparently this caught the blond off-guard for he jumped in his seat, as if just  
noticing that Taichi was in the room, "Advice?"  
  
"Yes... You said something about wanting some advice from me."   
  
"Oh... Oh! Yes, well never mind that. I feel as if I know you, so I very well can't  
ask it of you now." The blue-eyed rock star ignored the open-jawed gape of  
unbelievability that was so clearly visible on the brunette's face and made to stand up.  
"Well, it's been a nice chat, sir nameless-guy. I suppose I should thank you for your time,  
so, thank--"  
  
"...Yagami..." Taichi spoke quietly.  
  
Yamato stopped, watching him again, his intense blue eyes narrowly observing  
everything visible of the brunette before he replied, "Yagami san. You have a given  
name, too?"  
  
"It is of no importance, Ishida san." The brown-eyed novelist spoke quietly, a  
small smile curving his lips, "We shall not be meeting again, I trust it."  
  
This time a sort of knowing gleam flickered over the blue-eyed man's visage,  
"You shouldn't be over-confidant, Yagami san. For now, I shall have to prove you  
wrong."  
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
  
"It's all subjective. It simply depends on whether you like me or not."  
  
"And what if I'm not sure I do?" Taichi inwardly winced at how insulting that  
sounded, and turned his head to observe how the blond would take it. Hopefully he would  
not be offended.  
  
The musician stilled completely, thinking of quite how to respond, "Well, for  
what it's worth, I like you."  
  
Suddenly, that didn't sound like innocent stranger-to-stranger conversation, and  
the brown-eyed man found himself blushing. Ishida Yamato had just said he liked him?  
Though, he couldn't possibly mean it -that- way, could he?  
  
Seeing the slight tint of pink upon the tanned man's cheeks, the blond openly  
laughed, a honest amusement in his musical voice, "You can take that whatever way you  
like, Yagami san."  
  
This only caused the brunette to blush deeper, and the man quickly turned his  
head to face the window, "I don't know what you're talking about. Though, I do know that  
the chances of us meeting again are null. And for what it's worth, I -don't- like you."  
  
Those words tasted sour as he spit them out, and the aftertaste only served worse  
in his mind. The blond that was standing before him was so obviously crazy and yet so  
undeniably beautiful that it was almost impossible to say that he disliked him. Yet he had  
managed, and just for saying it, he regretted it.  
  
Yamato's face was impassive, when Taichi looked up. An amused tone emanated  
from the musician, as he replied, "I never asked you to like me, Yagami san. Personally,  
it can't make a difference to me if you like me or not. Though, I suppose it would be  
easier if you didn't-- just in case we actually don't see each other again." And like that he  
was walking away, heading towards the door (half-wondering why he had come into the  
cafe and never ordered anything). "Yagami san, sayounara." He called over his shoulder,  
lightly, as he pushed the door open.  
  
"Wait!" The brunette found himself standing suddenly, "I didn't mean that..."  
  
Yamato turned, hearing Taichi's voice, again. There was an amused glint in those  
sky blue eyes, "Which part? About not liking me or waiting?"  
  
And with that simple joke, all felt better. The writer suddenly found he was trying  
to still himself from bounding forward to give the blond a large and unnecessarily tight  
hug. What a weird impulse to receive. He ignored it, his brain still half-fogged without  
sleep.  
  
When he came out of his thoughts, Yamato was gone, and the door was slowly  
swinging shut.  
  
*****  
  
Two hours later found Taichi back in his dorm with the stereo on top volume, and  
disturbing the neighbours who were trying to study or sleep [3]. He leaned back in his  
bed, heaving his largest sigh yet and closing his eyes lightly. The pressure of having to  
complete that book was really starting to wear on him, and he found himself feeling all  
the more tired by the moment.   
  
As he shut his eyes softly, he saw him, again. Ishida Yamato and those blue eyes,  
watching him so closely, analysing him for whatever reasons his disturbed mind had. Yet,  
he couldn't help but be interested in the musician more and more with each passing  
thought. Though, one thing was sure about the blue-eyed stranger. There was something  
not quite right about him.  
  
Maybe that was when the inspiration finally came to his conscious mind.  
  
'He would make an excellent character in my story...' His mind ran through a  
flurry of ideas, about how he would add in the new character Matt to his story. He  
realised it wasn't going to be an easy task. He hardly knew the blond, and from what time  
he had spent talking to him today, the musician was so insanely eccentric that it would be  
very difficult to construct a character around him. Though, Yagami Taichi was never one  
to back down from a challenge.  
  
As he moved to stand and approach his computer for more writing, he found that  
he couldn't move at all. That same voice that he had heard only an hour ago was now  
drifting softly through his room, increasing in speed and volume only in time of the  
single guitar played in accompaniment. It was a new song out by The Wolves, and  
suddenly, he found himself straining to focus on every note emitted by that beautiful  
voice. Ishida Yamato, no matter how strange in person, did have a beautiful voice...  
  
"Grey days find me  
Thinking about you  
And how you wonder   
Who I am  
  
Yet, at our respected positions  
I'm in no place to say  
That what I feel for you  
Strays another way  
  
So, I'm sorry  
I can't do this  
So sorry  
That I can't do this  
And the days   
Only get darker from here  
  
And I hear how you talk  
And what you ask  
And how you want to know  
Who I am  
  
Each moment sees me  
As someone else  
And I've made you see me  
As someone else  
  
So, I'm sorry  
I can't do this  
So sorry  
That I can't do this  
And the story  
Only goes deeper from here  
  
But you won't know  
You can't know  
I'll never show you  
Who I am..."  
  
Of course Taichi didn't hear the song in it's entirety. As far as his weary mind was  
concerned, the character 'Matt' could wait until tomorrow. At the moment, he would  
much rather fall asleep thinking of Yamato.  
  
So, he did.  
  
*****  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
*****  
  
Notes--  
  
[1] I wasn't sure whether Mimi had brown eyes or red eyes. They kind of look red to me, but when I think about red eyes and pink hair I think of Chibi Usa from BSSM... And that freaks me out. _ So, her eyes are brown now.  
  
[2] "The Wolves" is a band name that I know has been used before, by many separate persons, so please don't be angry with me if you happen to be using it. I know the original name was "The Teenage Wolves" or something to that liking, but you're hardly a teenager anymore when you get to your college-aged years, ne? I probably should've taken the time to think of something original...  
  
[3] For some reason, this reminds me of that film "Matchmaker" when Sean is 'rubbing' the dog with his foot, and the dog keeps making this loud banging sound. And the girl goes to see what's making the sound (because it sounds almost exactly like 'something else') and... Oi. I guess you would just need to watch the film. _ It was all just -really wrong-.  
  
[*] Reviews inspire me to write-- quicker and better. If you would like to see this continued, I urge you to send me your compliments, complaints, death threats, and marriage proposals by reviewing. If you don't want to see this continued, I'm probably going to continue it just to spite you. ^_^ 


	2. Told You So

Author's Note (1:27 AM 4/27/03) -- Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. They were delightful to read, and so encouraging of my continuing this piece-- I'm quite honoured. To answer a question I was asked in reviews: Yes, I shall introduce many of the other characters into this fic (there might be mention of some DaiKen/Kensuke, later probably), you'll just have to see for yourself, though. Another note, the warning, disclaimer, etc, accessible in the first installment, and will remain unchanged.  
  
The format has changed slightly in this chapter, and I will be changed the first chapter's format shortly. It's also a lot more grammer-friendly! :D  
  
*****  
  
Got Elegance? * Seph Lorraine  
  
Chapter 2 * Told You So  
  
*****  
  
Taichi sat quite irritably in his office chair. He was quite irritable, as has already   
been mentioned. His brown-eyed gaze stared penetratingly towards the object of his   
irritation. If it had been logical, the message-recorder would have shuddered and hid itself   
behind a stack of papers. Though, it was not logical, and it didn't.  
  
Reaching forward, the young writer pressed the flat "play", again.  
  
"Oniichan--" A most delightfully genki female voice squealed through the small  
electronic sound processors of the machine, "I have called to inform you of something  
-very- special, and -very- important to me. I have a new boyfriend--"  
  
Taichi's right eye twitched.  
  
"He's so perfect, Oniichan, you're gonna' like this one, I promise! I can't tell you  
his name, though--" Figures. "--it's a surprise! You know what this means, ne? I'm gonna   
win! Call me ASAP! Ja!"  
  
There was a moment of silent irritation on the brunette's behalf until the machine  
buzzed, again.  
  
"Yagami san, this is your editor, Yoshitaka, calling to remind you of your  
deadline. It's been two weeks, Yagami san, and I don't think we're going to be able to  
hold this off any longer. I need your next manuscript by Friday or we will be forced to  
terminate your contract. Please don't allow this matter to escalate to such a measure--"  
The machine was turned off before the message could continue.  
  
Without thinking, Taichi reached for the phone, and frowned. It was gone.   
  
'God damnit. Now I've gotta waste my time looking for the phone.' He frowned  
distastefully at the mess around him, and began to move objects, throwing aside shirts  
from their comfortable positions on the floor (never mind that they landed on the floor in  
different places). After a few moments he could simply growl quietly and mutter in  
contempt.  
  
He gave up, deciding he would simply call Hikari later, when he had time to find  
a phone.  
  
Right now, he had a character to create. He began to write, quickly throwing   
together the pieces of the puzzle that would make up Matt. Seeing as how he was basing   
the character off of a famous rock star whom he really didn't know, he was going to have   
some major kinks to work out before he could fully incorporate the new character into   
the book.  
  
Matt would be fairly tall, lithe, thin, and pale. He would have a semi-rounded  
face, with a sort of haughty youthful appearance. He would have golden-blond hair,  
falling just past small pale ears, and a perfectly pointed nose to centre his face. Two  
beautiful crystalline blue eyes would peer out from his pale visage, shaded by a thin  
curtain of lashes, these two eyes would be the attractive point for all of the boy's stray  
hair-- as he would keep brushing the golden locks from his eyes. Two pale lips settled  
perfectly into a somewhat smug smile upon his face.  
  
He would be a very argumentative person, yet inanely eccentric. He would  
probably be somewhat arrogant, and self-indulged, but not blindingly so. He would be  
very relaxed. Someone who could cheer you up after pretty much anything. He would be  
someone who wasn't easily frightened by things, and someone with a loose grip on the  
reality around him...  
  
But was Yamato that way?  
  
Taichi frowned, pausing his creation of Matt for a moment. He didn't know what  
Yamato was really like. For all he knew about the blond, what he saw in the cafe could  
have been nothing but a playful front. Who was to say Yamato wasn't one of those  
obtusely feminine men who cried during "chick flicks"? Or a suave con-artist? Or one of  
those attention-seeking goody-two-shoes? Hell, maybe he was God?  
  
The brunette groaned, toying idly with a pencil. Why had it been so easy to make  
Koushiro into a character after only knowing him for a day, and Yamato (whom he had  
spoken more with in a few minutes, than he had with Koushiro their first meeting) was  
taking such effort? The pencil snapped into halves. 'No human being should be -this-  
complicated.'  
  
Sighing, he raised himself from his chair, dragging himself through the door and  
out into the hallway. Room 13D radiated like a beacon of hot pink light at the end of the  
hallway as he approached. He paused before the door and frowned at the bright pink  
piece of paper taped to the door.  
  
Mimi's Messages:  
  
* (13/7) Sora chan! If I'm not here, meet me at the cafe. You've got to tell me all  
about him!  
  
* (30/7) Sora chan, please send my Kare Kano mangas over to Bekki. I told her  
she could borrow them after you.  
  
* (3/8) Mimi san, I need my Psych book back before Wednesday! What did you  
do with it? -Tai  
  
* (14/8) Taichi kun? I kind of need to borrow your book again...  
  
* (15/9) Hey Mimi san. You haven't called me. Where are you? -Yuukihiro  
  
* (6/10) Sora chan, I know we were supposed to finish the project, but I had to go  
to the cafe at the last minute. Come by and we'll discuss it, or I'll call you tonight.   
  
* (24/10) Sora chan! If you're always talking to -him-, how am I ever supposed to  
call you!?  
  
* (3/11) Taichi kun! Your sister keeps calling me about you. What happened to  
your phone?  
  
Reaching forward, he knocked heavily on the door.  
  
There was a sudden silence, which was odd because the brunette couldn't  
remember ever hearing a noise. He shrugged it off and knocked again, more loudly, "Hey,  
Mimi san. It's me. Open up!"  
  
"Coming!" The pink-haired girl's muffled voice called from the other side of the  
door. Behind her voice were the muffled incomprehensible voices of others, as she  
padded softly to the door. Reaching it, she turned the lock, and opened it lightly, glancing  
out, through a tiny crack.  
  
"Er, Hi..." Taichi blinked.  
  
"O! Tai kun!" Her only visible brown eye widened and she quickly shuffled back,  
throwing the door open with a squeal, "Aa! Come in, come in!"  
  
Without a moment to hesitate, the brunette was jerked into the room with rapid  
speed, the door slammed and locked behind him, "Hey, I just needed to borrow your  
phone for a minute--"  
  
"Taichi! I want you to meet some people!" She cut in quickly, flipping some long  
pink hair over her shoulder, she spun the boy around to face the rest of the room.  
  
Mimi's room didn't seem any different than usual. Long pink curtains hung before  
the tall French-styled windows contained in all of the dorm rooms, a bright pink comforter   
covering the bed, a pale pink rug placed carefully in the centre of the room, and a pink   
lamp still off due to the daylight hours. Aside from the unusual absence from the girl's   
random assortments of clothes littering the floor and bed, it was just the same as usual.   
Though, Taichi was pretty sure that the two people occupying the room were -not- usually   
part of Mimi's garish decor.  
  
"This is Takenouchi Sora. She's one of my good friends, you might know her."  
She smiled, gesturing to the tall strawberry-blond from the cafe just yesterday.  
  
The girl stood, promptly. She bowed, smiling sweetly, "It's nice to meet you,  
Yagami san. I believe we're in the same Psychology class, aren't we?" She returned to her  
seat on the edge of the bed, it's shocking pink colour clashing with her pastel yellow  
dress, "Mimi chan talks of you often, it's nice to finally meet you."  
  
Before the writer could make a proper response (which he couldn't, but luckily he  
didn't have to attempt), Mimi was giggling and tugging him to look at the room's other  
occupant, "And this is... Well, I don't think I need to tell you who -this- is!"  
  
Taichi froze, his brown eyes unexpectedly widening as he observed the figure that  
leaned against the wall.  
  
Ishida Yamato was the only thing submerged in Mimi's domain of pink that really,  
significantly stood out. He was dressed in simple black attire, several differently assorted   
silver chains draped from his thin neck-- he looked absolutely imposing, despite the fact that   
his cloudy face and unreadable expression said he wished he could simply be wishing to be  
camouflaged to the wall behind him and forgotten.  
  
Two blue eyes settled their chillingly sensual gaze upon his own deep brown eyes.   
  
The brunette wanted to blink, but the gaze that held his own wasn't going to allow  
it. What was he supposed to do? Nod his hello and go on asking Mimi to borrow her  
phone? That would be awfully rude.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak but found that no words wanted to leave it.  
  
Instead, the blond pushed himself to stand separate of the wall, bowing formally,  
"Yagami san konnichiwa."  
  
This time the writer did blink, "H-hai... Konnichiwa." He attempted to bow, but it  
simply came out as a sort of exaggerated nod.  
  
"You two know each other?" Mimi and Sora were both watching with rather  
surprised faces.  
  
Taichi took a glance at the musician, hoping the other would take the chance to  
explain, though when he glanced back at the other man, he was simply perched against  
the wall again, face impassive.  
  
"Er, well, no. Not really... We just met each other yesterday." The brunette spoke  
rather quietly.  
  
"O! Really? Where did you meet? How did you guys run into each other?" Mimi  
was smiling brightly, her brown eyes still stuck on Yamato's image-- intaking every gloriously  
stimulating detail, "You can have a seat, Tai kun."  
  
"No, that's okkei--"  
  
"Well, where'd you meet?" Sora was looking on, interested, from her seat on the  
bed.  
  
The brown-eyed writer frowned, glancing back at the man on the wall, but  
Yamato's position and gaze had not moved. The man probably molded himself to the  
wall, by now.  
  
"Ano... At the cafe yesterday."   
  
The strawberry-blond blinked widely at her (assumable) boyfriend, who was  
leaning lifelessly against the wall, "Oh really, Yamato kun? What did you guys talk  
about?"  
  
The rock star sighed and shrugged, moving his cold gaze towards the window, as  
if that had answered the question.  
  
"Oh." She frowned slightly, "Well, that's interesting..."  
  
"Yea..." Mimi agreed quietly.  
  
There was a rather uncomfortable silence.  
  
Taichi frowned, he wanted to talk to the musician, but as he silently observed  
him, he wasn't so sure the musician wanted to speak to him. He suddenly felt the need to  
glare at Yamato. Yesterday, he had witnessed this expression, sure, but he had actually  
been talking then. Today the blond simply seemed lifeless.  
  
"Er, Mimi... The reason I came was to ask if I could borrow your phone to call  
'Kari." The brunette turned his gaze back to his friend.  
  
"Oh, yea, sure." She walked forward to hand him a pink-plated cordless from her  
bedside table, "What happened to your phone, anyway?"  
  
There was a shrug from the writer, "I kind of lost it... It's in there somewhere, but  
it might take a while to locate." He couldn't help but notice a light smirk appear on  
Yamato's face at that.  
  
"If figures." The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes, "'Kari chan has called several  
times, about you, you know? What does she want to speak to you about so badly?"  
  
Taichi groaned, "She left a message telling me she had something really  
important to tell me about her new boyfriend. She probably just wants to gush about him,  
make me jealous or something." He shrugged and turned his attention to the horridly pink  
phone.  
  
"Make you jealous?" Sora questioned from the bed.  
  
"Er..." The brunette blinked, "Yea."  
  
"Why--"  
  
"Don't be nosy, Sora chan." Yamato spoke very quietly from the wall, his voice  
was cool and controlled, "It doesn't concern you."  
  
She pouted slightly, about to make a retort, when Mimi suddenly burst out  
giggling.  
  
"Taichi kun! Are you two still on that bet?" Her cheerfully amused voice called  
for his attention.  
  
The brunette frowned, "Yea..." 'Oh Gods. Please don't bring it up, Mimi san.  
Please don't bring it up!'  
  
"It's so cute!" She began to explain, seeing Sora's puzzled face, "He and his sister,  
Hikari chan, have this bet to see who can keep a--"  
  
"Mimi!" Taichi hissed suddenly, a blush beginning to show on his fairly tanned  
cheeks.  
  
"--boyfriend for the longest! It so funny!" The pink-haired girl continued to giggle  
away, oblivious.  
  
Sora began to cough, "A -boyfriend-!?"  
  
'Oh great. How fucking great is this! Now, they're going to think I'm some sort of  
freak.' The writer took a light breath, trying to quickly push away the blush on his cheeks.  
"Thank you, Mimi. Thank you very much."  
  
He couldn't hide his deep frown, or the anger that was so clearly within his deep  
brown eyes. Yamato had teased him about something like that only the evening before,  
but he surely hadn't known the writer actually was like -that-. Was he going to be disgusted?   
He wanted to glance up and look at the blonde's face, but somehow he couldn't find the  
courage.   
  
"You're..." The girl on the bed had gotten over her fit of coughing and was now  
staring wide-eyed at the young writer, "You mean... You're -gay-?!"  
  
Taichi sighed heavily, fixing his gaze quietly upon the girl, "No. I happen to be  
'bi'."  
  
The girl sputtered, and blinked again, "You... You mean you like -both-?"  
  
The brunette shrugged, "Sure, why not?"  
  
Sora gaped, looking for words, and simply continued to stare when she could not  
find them.  
  
Taichi could suddenly feel the burn of two cerulean eyes on him. He cringed at  
the sound of Mimi's amused giggles, and finally glanced at Yamato. For once, he put up  
his own indifferent look.  
  
Only to meet a sly smirk.  
  
The blond, arms folded over his chest was now watching him, his aquatic blue  
eyes swimming [1] in amused interest. He looked for a moment, as if he was going to ask  
a question, but simply dismissed the thought and turned his beautiful gaze to his  
girlfriend on the bed, his eyes hardening slightly as he quickly observed her behaviour.  
  
"Sora. Don't be rude." He spoke in that same cool voice.  
  
The brunette suddenly felt lighter, and he turned his gaze back to Mimi, who was  
now sitting in a puffy pink chair, wiping away at the tears her laughter had caused, "Mimi  
san." He kept his voice steady, a stern tone emanating from his throat at a low pitch.  
  
The girl glanced up, dabbing at her eyes gently to prevent her eye-liner from  
running, she smiled largely, "I'm sorry, Tai kun. I just had to. Besides, I knew they would  
take it well." Her smile softened.  
  
Sora, from her seat on the bed, had stopped gaping like a fish. In fact, she  
appeared to be getting over the shock quite quickly, "Oh... I'm sorry if I sounded rude. I  
was just..." She frowned and glanced at her boyfriend, at his spot on the wall. Yamato  
made a point of clearing his throat, intimidating her until she completed her sentence,  
"Er, surprised! I was surprised!" She frowned, staring down to her feet.  
  
"It's ok." Taichi licked him lips, staring at the phone, "Anyway, I better go call  
'Kari..."  
  
The three room occupants watched as the brunette exited the room quietly,  
telephone in hand.  
  
*****  
  
"Moshi moshi!" A cheerful female voice answered the phone, the sound of a pan  
clattering to the floor could be heard in the background.  
  
"Ano, Okaasan..."  
  
"Tai! Aww! How are you? How's school? What about your book? Any new  
girlfriends? Boyfriends? Friends? How's Mimi? 'Kari's been dying to speak with you!  
Why don't you ever drop by? We're in the same city! Why don't you ever call--"  
  
Taichi felt it best to cut off the torrent of questions, "Sumimasen kudasai. Demo...  
I called to speak with my imouto. Is she there?"  
  
"Oh... Chotto matte, Tai."   
  
"..." Taichi leaned back against the wall in the hallway, hoping this wouldn't be a  
long discussion.  
  
"Oniichan!"  
  
"Hi, 'Kari."  
  
"I've been trying to get in touch with you all day!" Her genki voice chirped  
through the receiver.  
  
"Yes, well, I lost my phone. I'm borrowing Mimi san's, so I can't talk long."  
  
"Aa, yes! Well, as you know, I now have a boyfriend--"  
  
"So you've mentioned."  
  
"And therefore, I'm ahead. What about you?"  
  
Taichi was silent. He had spent so much time on his book these past two months  
he had hardly spent any time being social. He had definitely not been on a date since  
then.  
  
"Aww, c'mon, Tai--"  
  
"I haven't had any time. My book was deadlined ages ago, and I have yet to  
complete it."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but it appears that I might be winning." She taunted lightly, her  
voice as sweet as cream.  
  
"How long have you been together?"  
  
"A week!" She could now be heard bouncing about her room with the telephone.  
  
"Ooo! Very impressive. A -whole- week!" He mocked her, his voice teasing.  
  
"Aww, shut up! At least I've got one." If she could have stuck her tongue out, she  
would have.  
  
"Yea, well. Is that all?"  
  
"No! I want you to meet him!"  
  
"..." This was new.  
  
"I'm bringing him home for at 1800 tomorrow evening, and you had better be  
there!"  
  
"But you've only been dating a week!? What are you--- engaged!?"  
  
"No--"  
  
"Who is this guy, 'Kari? Where did you meet him? Do you really know anything  
about--"  
  
"Stop being so overprotective!"  
  
"It's my job!"  
  
"Well, you're fired!"  
  
"You can't fire your brother, 'Kari."  
  
"Just say you'll be there, please?" Her voice now took on a pleading tone, it was  
obvious that she was pouting on the other end of the line.  
  
"Urgh! Fine. What is tomorrow?"  
  
"Wednesday."  
  
"...!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Arg! I have a manuscript due by Friday! How am I going to finish?"  
  
"Well, stop talking to me, and go write!"  
  
"Yea... Ok. I'll talk to you later, 'Kari--"  
  
"You're still coming, right?"  
  
"Yes. Fine. I'll be there." He sighed heavily, glancing back at the door where he  
could hear the faint talking of Sora and Mimi.  
  
"Yay! Good! Ja!"  
  
"Ja..."  
  
*****  
  
Taichi trudged back into the overly pink room with the phone, frowning slightly.  
Sora and Mimi were talking mildly about going out for dinner later that evening, and  
Yamato stood against the wall, intently watching the minute-hand of his wrist-watch[2].  
The poor musician looked extremely pitiful in the situation. Though, of course, Taichi  
would never say such a thing.  
  
Observing Yamato, as he leaned against the wall of the pink room, looking stoic  
and little less than completely miserable, Taichi mentally added onto the character of  
"Matt". Matt would be incredibly polite and patient, yet unappreciative of trivial things,  
like chatting with your girlfriend's bestfriend in an outrageously pink dorm room. He  
would be a bit cold on the exterior, and as a drastic change from his earlier thoughts of  
the blond, Matt was most definitely -not- self-indulged. If he was willing to suffer silently  
for his girlfriend, maybe he was a very respecting person. Almost endearing.  
  
But was he really as miserable as he appeared, or was it just a careful disguise?  
  
Taichi paused, just barely resisting a squeal of joy. 'Yes!' He had the perfect plan,  
'Matt will be one of those guys who feels the need to disguise his thoughts and emotions.  
He'll be one of those untouchable guys, who only speaks when it's necessary. Kind of  
distant.' He had his character pegged, now.  
  
But was Yamato really that way?  
  
He came out of his trance when he realised that Mimi and Sora were staring oddly  
at him. Had they asked him a question?  
  
"Nani?" He blinked, blindly placing the phone down on the nearest piece of  
furniture he could find-- a tall white dresser, covered in pink stickers.  
  
"I said," Mimi sighed, "What did she say?"  
  
"Oh..." The writer frowned, "Well, she wants me to meet her new boyfriend. I  
don't know why. I mean, they've only been dating for a week. She sounded almost  
desperate, though."  
  
"Aa... How does she know him? What's his name?" The pink-haired girl's eyes  
widened suddenly, full of questions, "Is she serious about him?"  
  
"I don't know." He shrugged, and took a sidelong glance at Yamato, slightly  
surprised to see the blond was now paying avid attention to the conversation.  
  
Yamato opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but quickly shutting it  
again, simply regaining his usually expressionless appearance. To him, the thought he  
had nearly voiced was easily dismissed, and his mind roamed on to more important things.  
Like when he would be able to leave the dramatically pink room.  
  
"Well you should have asked--" The young cafe owner began, but was quickly cut  
off.   
  
"I did. She wouldn't tell me. She just called me over-protective and wouldn't  
speak any more of it." He crossed his arms. He really needed to get back to working on  
his book, soon.  
  
"Well," Sora began smiling over at her boyfriend (he threw her a small glance in  
return), then looking back to Mimi, "what about our plan? We can all go somewhere  
together for dinner?"  
  
"Yes!" The pink-haired girl joined in, "It would be fun with the four of us. We  
could go to the Green House!" She broke of her small spiel to glance at Taichi, "You  
wanna come with us?"  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flicker of disappointment flash across  
Yamato's face, as if exclaiming: 'Why don't I get the choice whether I have to go or not?'  
  
"Er... No. I really can't. I have a deadline on Friday, and I have five more chapters  
to go and another character to introduce." He frowned, he knew he was giving up a  
chance to get to know more about Yamato, but there was no way he could waste anymore  
time than he already had, "I would any other time, though." He smiled apologetically.  
  
Sora spoke up suddenly, her eyes curious, "What are you writing that's so  
important, that you can't even go out for just one night?"  
  
Before the young writer's mouth could even begin to open, Mimi was explaining  
proudly, about his occupation, "Taichi kun's a writer! He's already published two  
best-selling novels and he's finishing his third! Isn't it cool?!"  
  
Sora squealed suddenly, "Aa! That's so neat! What do you write about? What are  
the names of your books? Have I read one?"  
  
Yamato was no longer staring at his watch, now resting his intense blue-eyed gaze  
on the brunette.  
  
"Er..." Taichi began to think of a way to explain without revealing anything.  
  
"Oo! Yes, you were reading one a while ago, though I forgot the name. He goes  
by a different pen name, though. It's Kam--" Tai's had landed securely over Mimi's mouth  
before she could say anymore. The rest came out as muffled nonsense, and completely  
unintelligible.  
  
"I'm not permitted to reveal that information, as my pen name is a -secret-." He  
shot a glare at the now silent cafe owner. "I'm sorry that I cannot even allow it to be  
revealed to you-- even though I trust that you are very good people." He removed his  
hand from the girl's mouth, seeing her eyes dim in realisation that she was to keep her  
knowledge on his line of work a secret.  
  
She wasn't good at keeping secrets, but she made a silent promise to try.  
  
"Oh." The strawberry blond looked disappointed.  
  
Yamato appeared uncharacteristically interested, though he decided that now  
would be an appropriate moment to move his gaze back to the minute-hand on his watch.  
  
"Well, I guess it'll just be the three of us." The pink-haired girl frowned, and  
glanced at the girl on the bed.  
  
"Actually, I can't go, either."   
  
Everyone turned to glance at the blond musician, resting lazily against the wall.  
He didn't speak very much, so when he did put up his voice, it was carefully heard.   
  
Sora's eyes fell, "Naze desu ka?"  
  
The blond shrugged lightly, "I have other things to get done as well."  
  
"Like what?" The girl in yellow stared intently at her boyfriend.  
  
"Things." Yamato replied curtly, unfolding his arms and pushing himself off of  
the wall.  
  
"What kind of things?" She pressed.  
  
"Things that you shouldn't concern yourself with." His tone was passive, and his  
expression unreadable.  
  
The girl on the bed stood lightly, crossing her arms. Apparently they had a mutual  
dislike for where the conversation was going. Perhaps it had been the topic of past  
arguments? The strawberry blond hardened her tone a bit, raising it a small decibel, "I told  
you, Yamato. I am concerned with what you do with your time. It's because I care! I  
really wish you would just stop--"  
  
"Sora. This isn't the place." His voice was icy, yet calm, "We'll discuss it later."  
  
"No we won't." She muttered sourly, "It's always 'later', and you still won't tell  
me--"  
  
"Sora." His voice was low, a warning as he leveled his stern gaze with the girl in  
yellow.  
  
She frowned, and took a breath, glancing at Mimi, "Well, I guess it'll just be a  
ladies' night out."  
  
The girl in pink blinked slightly from where she stood beside Taichi, both of them  
feeling slightly awkward at witnessing the small dispute between the other two of the  
room's occupants. Taichi was wondering if this was his cue to quietly take leave to  
continue on his novel. Mimi was wondering what the internal argument between Sora  
and Yamato was all about.  
  
"Er, sure!" She smiled, "If we leave soon we can get to the restaurant before it  
gets crowded. And maybe we can even get in some shopping!"  
  
Sora smiled, seeming to dismiss her previously scowling appearance, "That  
sounds good. We'll run down to my dorm so I can switch shoes, first, though..."  
  
The two females began to discuss their evening plans fervently, leaving the two  
males to edge towards the door.  
  
"I've gotta go, Mimi san. I'll talk to you later." Taichi, being first to the door,  
quickly excused himself before the pink-haired girl could even think to respond (that is,  
if she had even heard him).  
  
Something sparked deep within Yamato's eyes as he reached the door, shortly  
behind the young writer, and he simply excused himself from the apartment without  
word, following the other boy down the hall.  
  
It was a small distance walked (a metre or two, maybe) before he spoke, "Yagami  
san."  
  
Taichi paused at his door, the doorway already partially opened. He glanced  
behind him, slightly surprised to see the blond had made it out of the room so quickly.  
His eyes, unknowingly, lit up at the opportunity to talk to the blond, again, "Yes, Ishida  
san?"  
  
"That was an interesting display in there." The once toneless voice was now laden  
with amusement.  
  
The brunette smirked, "Display? I don't believe in façades."  
  
The musician tilted his head lightly, his blue eyes dancing, "I made no accusation  
of a façade."  
  
"Then what are you implying?" Taichi narrowed his eyes cautiously.  
  
"I'm just interested by you, now. That's all." The rock star shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"Interested by me?" Suddenly his mind went blank. How do you respond when  
someone claims that they find you interesting? He couldn't remember ever having to  
answer to something so unusual before. "How do I respond to that?"  
  
Yamato chuckled, his behaviour suddenly completely different from the minute  
prior. He responded wittily, "You don't. It was a statement, not a question." Then,  
remembering something, his smirk widened, "I told you we'd meet, again."  
  
"Not directly." For some odd reason, Taichi felt the need to take the opposition to  
the blond-- much like he had the evening before.  
  
"It was an understood implication, though." The musician responded truthfully.  
  
"..." There was not a way that he currently wished to respond to that. "Yes, well...  
I guess it was." It hurt to admit even that small defeat.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it was." Yamato was leaning against the wall, again, staring  
expressionlessly at the boy in the doorway. Without any predictable pause for one to  
determine if the blonde's chain of thought was a mentally stable one, Yamato began to  
speak again, "To be somewhat generic, if not vague, in my inquisition, might I ask what  
kind of novels do you write?"  
  
"No." It was the first thing on his tongue.  
  
The blond quirked an eyebrow inquisitively, "Oh? You can't even spare a genre?"  
  
Thinking about it, the brunette decided he could at least spare an answer to that  
one small question, "Well, it's sort of a mix between action and humor, with a bit a of drama   
and romance thrown in somwhere in the middle."  
  
"Aa... Very nice, very nice." The blond muttered quietly, lost in thought for a  
moment, his voice hardly detectable. He snapped out of it quickly, without a sign of  
waking and glanced cautiously at Mimi's door, where the knob was turning to release the  
two girls. He turned his gaze back to Taichi, quickly, "Hide me."  
  
"What?" Before the writer could properly understand what was going on, Mimi's  
door was opening and Yamato had pushed past him to hide on the other side of his  
half-opened door.  
  
"Bye, Taichi kun. I'll talk to you later. Good luck with finishing your novel." The  
pink-haired girl smiled as she skittered past him, closely followed by Sora.  
  
"Yea, good luck with your novel, Yagami san." The strawberry blond smiled and  
followed after her friend, her boyfriend apparently forgotten.  
  
"Bye..." He said softly, watching them head out through the door that led to the  
stairwell.  
  
He stood there for a moment in silence, in a sort of daze until the noise of  
someone tripping over something, and a door opening reached his ears. He swirled  
around to see his dormitory door open, and Yamato glaring and muttering darkly at a  
badly placed T-shirt. A thought swirled in the mists of his mind, suddenly. 'Matt will be  
very graceful...'  
  
"You need a maid." A voice brought Taichi officially back into the reality of the  
situation as the blond gave his daft opinion on the condition of his own dorm room. "At  
least it's not pink."  
  
"...Maybe I like pink." Again there was that unfamiliar need to oppose everything  
the musician said. Why did this sound so strangely like flirting?  
  
"All the best to you, then." The blond shrugged.  
  
"Indeed, but I don't really." The writer paused and crossed his arms over his   
chest to give the blond (who was now surveying the large wreck that was Taichi's room) a   
critical stare, "Why are you hiding from your girlfriend?"  
  
Yamato returned his blue-eyed gaze to the brunette, again, his face had regained  
it's unreadable expression, his very posture was passive and unrevealing of his thoughts,  
"I'm not. She's already left, therefor there's no need to hide from her."  
  
Taichi frowned, "I meant when she was walking by."  
  
The blond shrugged, dismissing the topic of conversation, "Your room reminds  
me of my room when I was growing up. I was messy, too."  
  
Casting a careful glance around at the scattered junk, covering his entire dorm,  
the writer walked forward to seat himself in the swivel-chair before his computer, as per  
usual.  
  
"It's awfully nostalgic." Yamato spoke quietly, as if to no one but himself, his eyes  
resting on a CD case on the bed. His blue eyes carefully examined the image of he and  
his band mates all posed casually with their instruments, eleven small track titles were  
listed down the middle in small red font. It was the back of The Wolves' second album.  
He paced forward to pick it up and turned to face the other room's occupant, "This one  
sucks. I won't ask why you chose to buy it."  
  
Slightly surprised at this, Taichi creased his brow, "I rather liked it."  
  
The blond was muttering over the track titles before he spoke again, "I hated  
Tanada san for composing over half of these songs. He wrote six of them in less than  
three hours... So much for putting any effort into song-writing." He tossed the case back  
onto the bed and shoved his pale hands into his pockets.   
  
His book forgotten for the moment, the writer suddenly found himself interested  
in the blond before him, "Who's Tanada san?"  
  
Yamato looked slightly surprised at the question, not having expected the other  
man to actually be listening, "Oh... Our manager. He's an asshole. He always ends up  
writing our music when he doesn't think we're writing it fast enough, ourselves.  
Everything he writes really sucks, though. They're all filler songs, basically."  
  
The brunette nodded thoughtfully, "I'll admit it's not my favourite CD, but there is  
one song that I happen to like quite a lot."  
  
The rock star met his brown-eyed gaze, as if awaiting him to continue.  
  
"'Ballad #5'." He responded quietly.  
  
The corners of Yamato's pale lips curled lightly upwards, "Then I'm happy you  
enjoyed it, since I wrote that one, myself." He turned his head, his eyes focusing on the  
CD tower, filled with cases, both empty and not. Blue eyes began scanning the titles,  
music was a topic he could freely discuss, "Who do you like to listen to?"  
  
Taichi inwardly smirked at the transition of topic, "Anyone you see on the rack."  
He shrugged lightly. He watched as his guest made different faces at each band-title he  
scanned. Though, for the majority, he gathered from the celebrity's small smirk that he  
was pleased with what he saw on the rack.  
  
"A fair selection, Yagami san." Blues eyes moved from the CD's and back to the  
brunette. They scanned over the large piles of disarray papers questioningly, before  
picking one up and glancing over it, "Is this what you're writing?"  
  
Quickly, Taichi stood making to snatch the paper away, but the musician moved  
the paper from his grasp, continuing to read over it.  
  
"'...as he set one foot in the door, stopping the other from closing him out. He  
needed to explain himself, and he needed to be heard. He wasn't ready to loose his best  
friend, his one true companion, over some foolish lapse in judgment. So what if he had  
kissed him? He would rather keep him as just a friend than lose him all together--'" The  
paper was snatched away before Yamato could continue, and the blond frowned in an  
uncanny manner, only classified as teasing.  
  
The brown-eyed man took the chance to expand on the already jovial atmosphere,  
"Just in case you -have- actually ever read a book at all, I can't risk you knowing who I  
am." He smirked smugly, and shoved the paper randomly into the large pile as he  
reseated himself. It didn't matter where the paper went at this point-- that particular draft  
was all trash, now, anyways.  
  
Leaning against the messy desk and crossing his arms, with an expression of  
mock-offense, "Pardon moi. It just so happens to be, that I do quite a lot of reading. I  
might have even read your novels, had I any idea what pen name you go by, or what the  
titles of your pieces happen to be."  
  
"Oh, I doubt you have--"  
  
"Then what harm could come of telling me?"  
  
"What should I do if you happened to decide to actually go read one?"  
  
"Absolutely nothing?"  
  
"I don't want you to know."  
  
There was a sudden spark in those icy blue eyes, "Then just give me a hint?"  
  
"No."  
  
"A very small hint?"  
  
"No."  
  
Yamato was now giving him a very dead-panned expression, that clearly read: 'I  
hope you are eaten by God.'  
  
"Don't you have 'things' you need to be doing?" He asked suddenly.  
  
There was an confused blink from the blond.  
  
"You know, 'things' so important that you can't even go out with your girlfriend  
because of them?"  
  
Yamato's blank expression had dropped to a low scowl as he narrowed his eyes at  
the door, "Hn."  
  
Neither of them moved as Yamato stared stonily at the still partially opened door.  
  
"...Shouldn't you be going and doing your 'things', now?"  
  
Two narrow blue eyes regarded him again, as the blond straightened himself,  
pushing off of his leaning position against the desk, "There are no 'things'."  
  
"Well, you told her--"  
  
"I lied."  
  
Taichi frowned, mildly shocked by the cold tone in which the other spoke, and  
how freely he could admit to breaking something so sacred between lovers. For a  
moment, he wasn't sure whether he should be angry at the blond or not. He obviously  
wasn't a very trustworthy person if he could so simply break the trust he shared his own  
girlfriend.  
  
There was a moment of cold silence before the writer spoke, his voice low and  
bordering on anger and curiosity, "What's wrong with you? How can you just lie to your  
girlfriend like that?"  
  
It was odd, watching the famous Ishida Yamato stand in a chilling silence, a glare  
so tightly fixed upon his handsome features. His eyes were suddenly so distant, his voice  
cold and regarding, "I told you yesterday that I couldn't ask for your advice because I felt  
that I knew you after our brief conversation." He stopped and looked directly into the  
other man's brown eyes in a way that demanded a confirmation of remembrance.  
  
"Yes..." Taichi responded quietly.  
  
"The same applies here." The blue eyes had moved themselves from his gaze and  
now watched the door, as if awaiting some figure to emerge from the hallway at any  
moment.  
  
From the writer's perspective, gathering up and quickly analyzing the knowledge  
of what he'd seen of Yamato and Sora in Mimi's dorm room today, he absently wondered  
if Yamato's sudden coldness and the strawberry blond were related. Maybe Yamato just had   
girlfriend issues. Without a chance to realise what he was saying, he began to speak, "Does   
it have something to do with Takenouchi san?"  
  
Suddenly Yamato was looking at him again, brushing a few fleeting strands of   
golden hair from his eyes, his unreadable expression hiding the answer to the question.  
  
"Everyone has girl problems now and then. I'm sure things will clear up." He  
spoke, hoping that what he said eased the suddenly frosty boy before him.  
  
Yamato smirked, suddenly, "If you actually understood the situation, I might have  
believed that."  
  
"Then make me understand. Tell me your problem." The brunette spoke, not  
really realising what he was asking until it had left his lips. Was he just asking to hear the  
shallow issues of a ridiculously monotonous relationship between two people he hardly  
knew? Why would anyone willingly place their self in such a situation? 'Maybe I am  
going mad...'  
  
The smirk dulled considerably, "I refuse to concern you with my problems. I'll  
scratch at a wall or something until my fingers bleed." He shrugged.  
  
Taichi watched him warily, not quite sure what was meant by that last statement,  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It's not your problem, so you shouldn't have to deal with it. I'll figure something  
out, myself." The blond was walking towards the doorway, now.  
  
Somewhere inside of himself, Taichi felt like a shadow was covering his  
thoughts, dulling them to lamentable tones of gray. Yamato, he gathered, was a very  
independent person; unlike himself.  
  
"I'm good with solving problems." He spoke just as the blond reached the open  
door, "I may sound out of place in offering, but I wouldn't mind helping your with your  
problem."  
  
"I don't think you could help me." The blond spoke quietly, just loud enough to be  
heard, his voice toneless.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
The man at the door shrugged, turning back to face the writer with a smirk back  
in place upon his pale lips, "I like you too much."  
  
"And what is -that- supposed to mean?" He had yet to understand what the rock  
star mean by telling him that he was interesting and that he liked him, and even though  
he knew very little of the other man, it was unnerving from someone as screwed up as  
Yamato. One moment he was blank, the next he was laughing, and then he was glaring at   
anything that moved. His way of conversation didn't hold much room for logic, and the   
man had no qualms about breaking one of the most sacred trusts between him and his   
girlfriend. There was obviously something wrong with Nippon's blue-eyed wonder.  
  
"As I said yesterday, you can take it whatever way you like." Yamato's expression  
and tone had returned to their state of blank stoicism. He was turning to leave, again,  
when Taichi continued to speak.  
  
"What if I still don't like you, though?" He felt the ridiculous need to keep Yamato  
talking, make the other man laugh or even cause the blond to tease him. The other boy had  
suddenly become so sullen when he had brought up the other boy's problem (which he had  
now decided, had something to do with Sora).  
  
The musician did nothing for nearly a whole minute, and when he spoke, his tone  
was still unreadable, yet it held a tired quality, "Like I said before, it doesn't matter if you  
like me or not. It doesn't matter."  
  
Yamato left quietly, lost in his own reclusive thoughts.  
  
Taichi sat for an entire minute contemplating the musician, and gaining  
inspiration from the other's odd behaviour. Once he felt he could think no more on the  
subject, he casually reached for the remote to his stereo, selecting track nine on the  
second disc in the stereo. Ballad #5's dark sound began to radiate through the room.  
  
"...Living like I'm waiting just to fade, It seems so elegant..." He sang the lyrics  
quietly, under his breath, and continued to type. Word after word spilling onto the pages  
of his virtual word-processor, until around he finally came out of his trance. That same   
trance so many author's become absorbed in when they begin to write.  
  
He frowned, suddenly, as he came back into reality, wondering what had caused  
him to stop his writing, and glanced down at the clock. It was 0517, a long time from when   
he had originally began writing. The time hadn't stopped him, though. He had typed through   
practically entire days, maybe even weeks, before. His frown deepened and he turned to   
look back over his novel.  
  
Suddenly there was nothing. No words that he could think of. No ideas to record.   
Nothing but a dull numbness between his eyes. Nothing but an unbelievably odd feeling or   
surprise and happiness.  
  
'Kamiya Ty's third novel was officially complete.  
  
*****  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
*****  
  
Notes--  
  
[1] "aquatic blue eyes swimming" - I'm sure I just made use of some sort of literary device. O_o  
  
[2] I believe Yamato's a traditional watch, kind of guy... Sort of classy and vague.  
  
[*] Reviews inspire me to write-- quicker and better. If you would like to see this continued, I urge you to send me your compliments, complaints, death threats, and marriage proposals by reviewing. If you don't want to see this continued, I'm probably going to continue it just to spite you. ^_^ 


End file.
